Hamas leader: There's no deal with the 'occupation'

Yahya Sinwar says ceasefire with Israel had not been achieved, despite the fact that Hamas received $15 million in cash provided by Qatar.

Ben Ariel, Canada, 09/11/18 21:22

Yahya Sinwar

Reuters

Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar declared on Friday that a ceasefire agreement with Israel had not been achieved, despite the fact that Israel had delivered $15 million in cash provided by Qatar to Gaza earlier in the day.

Anyone who says “there is a deal or understandings with the occupation does not tell the truth,” Sinwar said as he attended the weekly “March of the Return” border protests near Gaza City.

"There is not an agreement with Israel. There are understandings with our Egyptian and Qatari brothers and with the United Nations to lift the siege imposed on Gaza,” he added.

Sinwar stressed that the "March of Return" campaign continues, and that the Qatari money that was delivered earlier in the day has nothing to do with a ceasefire agreement with Israel.

Egypt has been brokering indirect talks between Israel and Hamas in an attempt to reach a permanent ceasefire in Gaza.

A senior Israeli diplomatic official last Friday discussed the Qatari deal being negotiated with Hamas, under Egyptian mediation, which would include transferring fuel and salaries to Gaza in exchange for a lull in the ongoing violence.

The official said that Israel prefers to reach an agreement that will result in a ceasefire but is ready to act forcefully if the talks fail and the violence continues.

(Arutz Sheva’s North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Arutz Sheva articles, however, is Israeli time.)